WW1 Kitchener volunteer sent to deal with Irish rebellion

[sutton-in-craven]

Hi, I was browsing through the National Roll of the Great War and came across a scenario that I haven't seen before in all the years I've been medal collecting.

I came across a Pte Walter William Monkhouse who volunteered in November 1914 after the outbreak of hostilities and joined the 1/24^th London (Queen's) Regiment.

After his training in 1915, rather than go to France or Gallipoli, he was drafted to Ireland and was engaged with his Battalion in assisting to quell the Irish Rebellion. However, owing to an injury which he sustained in the course of his duties he was unable to secure his transfer to a theatre of war and was invalided to a hospital in England. In May 1916 he was discharged as medically unfit for further service.

Consequently he does not have a Medal Index Card (not entitled to any medals) because he never entered a theatre of war, only a Silver War Badge, the roll confirming his enlistment on 9/11/14 and discharge on 5/5/16

Now I'm not saying his service was any less worthy than that of his colleagues who saw action on the Western Front, etc. It just caught me eye because I'm assuming this chap volunteered to join the army (probably in response to the Kitchener posters) with the full expectation of fighting the German's at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War. Instead he was sent West to deal with the Irish and never got a sniff of WW1 action!

[roughdiamond]

I came across a Pte Walter William Monkhouse who volunteered in November 1914 after the outbreak of hostilities and joined the 1/24^th London (Queen's) Regiment.

After his training in 1915, rather than go to France or Gallipoli, he was drafted to Ireland and was engaged with his Battalion in assisting to quell the Irish Rebellion.

According to the LLT the Bn went to France 16/03/1915 with 47th Div and nothing indicated the Bn was detached to serve in Ireland, are you sure he was in Ireland with the 1/24th?

Where the piece mentions the "Irish Rebellion", the Easter Rising didn't take place till the last week in April, Pte Monkhouse was discharged less than a week later, so no way was he wounded/injured during it and medically discharged so quickly.

As for it being unusual, the 59th Div was sent to Ireland to quell the rebellion and was made up mainly of 2nd line Territorial Bn's, almost certainly some of them never made it to a foreign theatre of ops either because of wounds, injury or Death. One other thing to bear in mind, at that point everyone in the Military was a "Volunteer".

Sam

[Chris_Baker]

He definitely had a sniff of WW1 action in France, poor fellow.

Walter William Monkhouse's service record exists (with the same address) but it mainly concerns a second period of service. He enlisted into the Labour Corps in May 1919 and had five months on grave exhumation work in France before being discharged. He was suffering from DAH.

There is nothing particularly unusual about a TF volunteer either not going to France or being sent to Ireland. He may have been medically rated for home service only. Sadly this part of his service record is missing.

[sutton-in-craven]

According to the LLT the Bn went to France 16/03/1915 with 47th Div and nothing indicated the Bn was detached to serve in Ireland, are you sure he was in Ireland with the 1/24th?

Where the piece mentions the "Irish Rebellion", the Easter Rising didn't take place till the last week in April, Pte Monkhouse was discharged less than a week later, so no way was he wounded/injured during it and medically discharged so quickly. Sam

Hi Sam, many thanks for your comments. I was merely going by the entry in the National Roll of the Great War (of which I attached the image - hard to read the tiny print I know).

The way I read it was that after his training he was side-tracked to Ireland with his battalion (1/24th London Reg't) and that he was unable to be transferred to a theatre of war due to an injury sustained in the line of his duties. Unfortunately I don't have any additional information than that mentioned in the brief snippet, so whether his injury was sustained before, during or after the Easter uprising I wouldn't know.

Hi Chris - well done on finding his service papers, I never thought of checking! Very interesting that he re-enlisted after the war and was involved in grave exhumation work (ghasty work if there ever was any!). A very good point you raise is that he may already have been rated medically unfit for front-line service and was assigned 'home duties', hence perhaps the reason he was sent to Ireland.

Thanks again guys, much appreciated, regards Andrew

[jdoyle]

the SWB entry notes Sick rather than Wounds. Others on the page have Wounds as the reason for their SWB.

No Monkhouse is listed in the casualties from the Easter Rising/Rebellion and no mention of this battn/regt in any of its variations found so far in relation to the rebellion.

This chap appears to have died in Bromley in 1972.

I think the following entry is for his brother

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=854581